


Flowers Blooming in the Slums

by Ange_de_la_Mort



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, On The Way To A Smile: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Complete, F/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:20:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25005322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ange_de_la_Mort/pseuds/Ange_de_la_Mort
Summary: After the events of FFVII, Elmyra goes on a journey to discover more about her daughter's ancestry and all those parts of her (her duty, her needs, her abilites, even her friends) she could never really understand. In the end, it's a journey that not only lets her feel closer to Aerith, but also manages to help her understand more about herself.
Relationships: Elmyra Gainsborough/Barret Wallace
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13





	Flowers Blooming in the Slums

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the FFVII "In Bloom" zine. https://twitter.com/ffviibloomzine
> 
> I've always wanted to get to know more about Elmyra ever since I played FFVII for the first time and didn't yet understand that "the mother" is a trope and not a character in a lot of games ... so I've been happy to get the chance to write about her.

Her hands tremble slightly as she greets the three visitors - Cloud, Tifa and Barret - knowing that they will only confirm everything that this man, Reeve, has told her before. If they hadn't come, she might still have been able to convince herself that her daughter is fine, even if she had to keep this lie in her heart until the end of her life.

But with them here ... there is no other way for her than to accept the terrible truth. Aerith is no longer alive. She will never return home again, she will never laugh again or roll her eyes and shake her head whenever she thinks that Elmyra is too worried about her. She will never call her "mommy" again and hold her in her arms when the planet speaks to her or when Elmyra feels lonely.

"I am sure you did what you could to keep her safe," she says in a fragile voice and gives her visitors a faint smile. This is something she doesn't just want to tell herself. She really believes it. Because Aerith trusted them, Aerith, who was able to judge and perceive the character of the people around her so well. She would never have gone with them if they were bad people.

The three of them remain quiet and sad, just like Elmyra herself. Then the man with the prosthesis, Barret, raises his eyes and looks at her apologetically. "We're going back to Midgar," he says, rubbing his chin with the human hand. "We gotta check for survivors. Maybe we can rebuild the city." He hesitates for a moment and then continues, "We're going to take Marlene with us."

Marlene. Elmyra lowers her eyes and swallows. She has grown fond of the girl in all the weeks they have spent together. Maybe she felt a little like she used to when things were simpler ... as easy as life could be for a mother with a young child in Midgar.

Obviously, she expected her father to come and pick her up again one day - he promised he would come back, he promised not only Elmyra but also his daughter, and she was right in thinking that he would not disappoint his little girl - but now it seems so  _ sudden _ to her. It's as if the last thing that gives her support in this difficult time is being snatched away from her, the last thing that reminds her what it's like to be ... no, to  _ have been _ a mother.

"Of course," she says and smiles, although she actually feels like crying. "Do you have a car with you? I just ... I just worry the way to Midgar will be dangerous for a little girl."

"We have an airship." These are the first words Cloud speaks to her, the first time he's ever been able to look her in the eye. Elmyra can see how deep the guilt is gnawing at him. His unnatural SOLDIER eyes are clouded with grief and shame.

_ An airship _ , she repeats the words silently in her thoughts. An airship. A daring thought comes to her, one that takes her breath away for a moment. But then she makes a decision and nods slowly to herself.

"I want to meet your airship captain."

_____

The captain turns out to be a rude, temperamental man, who is currently yelling at his crew when Elmyra and the others enter the airship. He wipes the corner of his mouth with the knuckle of his hand and turns away from his crew to face his visitors. As his gaze falls on Elmyra, he raises his eyebrows. "And who's that supposed to be?" he asks Cloud and Tifa, while pulling out a cigarette from behind his ear and a lighter from one of the many pockets of his jacket.

He is so unlike the Turks in their pristine suits, and yet, he is the same kind of man: Arrogant and short-tempered, someone who is used to others doing as he tells them. Elmyra can feel ever-present anger ripple underneath his surface. He is not a man she would want to spend time with under different circumstances.

Still ... she needs him now. She slowly forces herself to breathe deeply and states in a firmer voice than she would have thought possible: "I am Aerith's mother."

The hand with the lighter freezes in the middle of the movement, as he now directs his gaze at her for the first time, really looking at her instead of through her.

"And I need to speak to you alone."

The captain hesitates and looks her up and down. Then he finally lights his cigarette and smokes in silence for a few long seconds before he chuckles softly and gestures to his people with his hand. "What're you waiting for? You heard the lady."

After a short moment of general confusion the room empties out, and finally Cloud, Tifa and Barret also leave - but only after Elmyra has caught Tifa's worried look and smiled at her insecurely. Finally, the two of them face each other, and the captain crosses his arms in front of his chest: "So, what is it, lady? What's so important you barge in here and interrupt us hard-working men, eh?"

She's imagined it to be so easy. She's really thought she could come here and ask for things she never dreamed were possible. But now she can hardly find the right words, or any words at all. It takes her some effort to dare to open her mouth and say, "I want to see the place where my daughter died. Please take me there."

Never would she have believed she could say it that way. And he has obviously not counted on her having something ridiculous, outrageous like that in mind. His eyes narrow and his gaze hardens, and because she fears that he will deny her this wish, she hastily reaches into the pocket of her dress to pull out a small purse. "I can ... I can pay you for it," she says quickly. "It might not be much, but-"

He shakes his head. "Put your wallet away, lady. We're not doing this."

She lowers her hand, just like her shoulders, feeling heavy and desperate and hopeless. "I see," she whispers shakily. "Thank you for time, then."

"What the hell are you talking about?" The captain barks a bitter laugh and shakes his head again. Then the expression in his eyes softens, and finally he reaches out a hand to place it on the one in which Elmyra is still holding her purse. "I don't want your money," he says gently. "We all loved Aerith. Of course I'm gonna take you there."

____

Elmyra was born and raised in Midgar, and she never got to know anything but the artificial lights of the upper plate and the dirty green and brown hues of the slums. The only bit of color in her life was her husband's radiant military uniform, and even that radiance was taken away by Shinra. With every day that he was stationed in Wutai, it seemed to her as if his letters were the only thing that could still make her shine. And after these letters stopped as well - when he died without her knowing it - she felt as if she was losing more and more light and vitality with each passing day, as if Shinra and the life in the slums were sucking her dry more and more, until one day she would be completely extinguished.

That was until Aerith entered her life. Aerith with her big childlike green eyes. Aerith, who always smiled, no matter how bad the situation was. Aerith, who never lost her radiance.

Aerith's smile had always been contagious, and she'd always managed to make the people around her smile as well, to make them shine brighter than the brightest lights that could gleam down to them from above. Life with her had always been a little kinder, always a little brighter.

In the past, Elmyra always believed that it was Aerith's radiance that created all this new life around her. The flowers that had grown around her house, the flowers in the church, they had all sprouted to get a glimpse of Aerith's glow, to see her smile.

Now that they are both standing here, both she and the captain, whose name she has come to know and who has protected her from danger and monsters on her way to this place, she thinks that maybe she wasn't all that wrong. She looks up at the infinitely high trees and structures that seem as if the planet itself had created them, and thinks that all this is as special as Aerith has been. So much greater, so much better than Shinra and their technology could ever be.

The sight of the idyllic little lake and the strange ... shrine almost takes her breath away, not only because both of them look so surrealistically beautiful, but especially because she knows ... because she knows ...

Elmyra sinks to her knees and leans forward, extending her hand only to stop before her fingertips touch the surface of the water.

_ I'm so sorry _ , she thinks and closes her eyes in a silent prayer.  _ I couldn't protect you. I failed you. I failed you as a mother. _

She swallows audibly, and although her throat is tight, she cannot even shed a tear. She can almost hear Aerith's soft laughter, hear her voice. A light breeze runs through her hair, making her shiver.

It seems almost as if someone is placing a hand on her shoulder.

Slowly she opens her eyes and blinks in confusion, turning her gaze to the side, firmly expecting Mr. Highwind to stand beside her trying to comfort her. But no one is there, instead ...

There is a single lily blooming on the ground next to her.

Why hasn't she noticed it before? With careful fingers she touches one of the petals and slowly shakes her head. "I've always hated them," she says, almost to herself.

"Huh?"

"Lilies. I have ..." She takes a deep breath and looks up at him. "My husband died in Wutai. He was a soldier. His body was never found." Though it's been so long, she still feels her heart grow heavy at the thought. She slowly lowers her eyes and looks at the lily again. "There was nothing I could say goodbye to, nothing to hold. Just an empty casket and a bouquet of white lilies."

"... I'm sorry."

She nods without looking at him. "Aerith loved them. They grew everywhere around her. At first I thought it was a coincidence, you know? That funeral flowers grew where she walked. But now ... now I wonder, were those flowers the souls of all the people who returned to the planet?" Elmyra sighs quietly and gives a crooked smile as she slowly gets on her feet, always careful not to step on the lily by mistake. "I'm sorry, I sound so stupid," she finally says, patting a bit of mud off her dress.

"Nah, not at all. Y'know, I still don't get the whole thing," he says and scratches his chin, "but I've heard enough crazy stuff about the Ancients and Jenova and whatever that I wouldn't call it impossible." His fingers twitch in the direction of the cigarette he has stuck behind his ear, but he slowly lowers his hand again. Probably even he has too much respect for this place. "There's a small village not far away from here. We've found some old videos of Aerith's pare- I mean. We found some info about the Ancients. If you wanna, I can take you there and you can watch them."

He wanted to say  _ parents _ . Elmyra doesn't mind, but she appreciates him choosing his words differently nonetheless. "Don't you have more important business to attend than showing an old, grieving woman the world?" she asks, to avoid having to admit that she is worried about finding out any information about Aerith's parents. Maybe she is even frightened. ... Aerith's mother. She escaped with her from the Shinra Labs. She protected her daughter with her life. ... and Elmyra let her go and die.

He puts his hands in the pockets of his pants and looks at her for a moment. Then he laughs courtly and shrugs his shoulders. "Actually, yeah," he says, and she already wants to apologize for stealing his time, but he just grins at her. "I got a delivery for Red in Cosmo Canyon. So I guess I can take you back home, lady, but first we gotta do a detour."

And with that, he turns around and leaves, not even bothering to check if she's following him or not. Which of course she is.

She looks back at the lake and at the lily one last time.

__

Cosmo Canyon is yet another place where people have chosen to live in tune with nature rather than to shape it according to their will. As soon as they enter the place, Elmyra can already see the cave entrances that have been carved into the mountain to provide shelter and living space.

The people here seem almost as close to the planet as the Ancients.

She lets her gaze wander over the village, sees the huge campfire that radiates warmth and peace, and then flinches at the sight of a large, cat-like creature. A monster? In the middle of the village? And nobody is doing anything to fight it?

Before she can even take a step back and return to the airship, the captain stomps past her and raises a hand in greeting. "Yo, Red!"

The creature lifts its head and then slowly gets up, standing on all four paws and shaking itself extensively like a dog. "It's  _ Nanaki _ ," it calls to him and trudges in their direction, and before Elmyra has even truly realized that this is the Red the captain wanted to meet, and that, yes, this is some kind of monster, and that, yes, it can  _ speak _ , it's already standing in front of them and looking at them both out of one eye. The other one is covered by a scar, and probably closed forever. "Don't make me remind you every time we see each other."

"Eh, details. Whatever."

The creature, Nanaki, growls softly and tilts its head. "What do you want, Cid? And who is this woman?"

Oh, it's looking at her. With so much curiosity and kindness and seriousness that it nearly renders her dizzy and speechless.

Fortunately, the captain fills in for her: "She's Aerith's mum."

"... hello. My name is Elmyra. It's ... It's nice to meet you," she says quietly as soon as she trusts her voice again, wondering if she should shake hands with the creature now. Does one shake a paw at all, or would the creature consider it offensive?

"Hello, Elmyra."

"I thought you could show the lady your gramps' pet project while I do my business."

Nanaki looks from Elmyra to the captain and back again. Did she imagine it or did Nanaki just wink at him? It's hard to tell, after all Nanaki only has one eye, so it could have been a normal blink, but somehow it almost feels like the two of them are plotting something.

However, since Elmyra doesn't really get the point because she probably lacks the context of a long joint journey, she simply can't do anything else than follow Nanaki.

__

In the next few hours she learns more about herself and the world out there than ever before. Nanaki tells her not only about the journey he took together with Cloud and Aerith and the others, but also about the Ancients and the Lifestream. "I'm sorry I can't explain it as well as my grandpa," he says sometimes, but Elmyra thinks he's doing a fabulous job.

That's what she tells him, over and over again; she learns and marvels and she thanks him and cries whenever he talks to her about Aerith, about her smile and her hope for a better future in which they all could be happy, without any threat from Shinra or this other man. The one who took Aerith's life.

Then Nanaki puts a big, surprisingly soft warm paw on her knee and tells her a place to go to, a place that might give her answers and maybe even some kind of closure.

__

She finds captain Highwind sitting by the fire, cell phone in hand and legs stretched out. For a moment she looks at him before silently sitting down next to him and staring into the fire, thinking about everything she has just heard and experienced. Eventually she turns her gaze back in his direction. "You said you had a delivery."

He hesitates and scratches his chin. "Yeah."

"Nanaki wasn't expecting you, though."

"Well, I guess ..."

"What was your delivery?"

He looks up at the sky and remains silent for so long that she no longer expects an answer. Then he shrugs and lights a cigarette, glances at her from the side. "You."

She was almost anticipating that answer, even though she can't quite understand why. For a moment she looks at her hands, which lay folded in her lap, then she raises her gaze again. "... why are you doing this for me? All of you?"

"Didn't you listen? I already told you. We all loved Aerith." He puts the lighter back in the pocket of his jacket. "You know, it was ... we went through this whole bullshit together. We saw her die. We promised to avenge her and somehow save the planet at the same time, and I still only get half of the whole shebang 'cause it's complicated as  _ fuck _ ," he exclaims with a sweeping gesture and a roll of his eyes. "But anyway. We managed. I-I'm sure you've noticed, I mean the planet is still there and so on, and we kinda got our closure but you didn't, and you're her mum and that's just unfair, okay? And can you stop looking at me like that? I'm shitty at speeches, so just stop making me do them."

She looks at him for a long moment and notices a smile creeping up onto her lips. The first one in a long time. "... thank you, Cid," she says softly and offers him a nod.

"Yeah, sure, whatever." He clears his throat again and then shrugs his shoulders. "You ready to go back? I just got a call from Barret. He says Marlene misses you."

"Marlene ..." The thought of the girl and her carefree child-like laughter makes her heart grow a little warmer. "I miss her, too." Her fingers play with a loose thread on her dress and she plucks it awayso she won't have to look up. "Can we ... Nanaki said I should go to Mideel. Can we please go there first? Then you'll never hear from me again."

Even though she's not looking at him, she can hear the surprise in his voice. "Mideel? Why?"

"He said I might find answers in the Lifestream."

For a short time there is silence between them, and when Elmyra lifts her gaze, she can watch him light another cigarette and throw the stub of the old one into the blazing flame of the fire. He smiles. "Heh. You might find a lot of things in there if you dig deep enough."

__

"I'm not coming with you," Cid says to her as the airship lands outside Mideel. At her confused, questioning look, he pulls a face as if he had just smelled something foul. "I have fucking awful memories of that place."

"Oh. I'm sorry?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "'s not your fault. Just don't stay too long, okay? The less time I gotta spend here remembering the better."

As she is already on her way to the deck to climb down the rope ladder, he calls after her: "Hey, lady! Whatever you do, don't touch the Lifestream! Cloud fell in and was a vegetable for  _ weeks _ . Don't need you to be like that, too, okay?"

Even if she doesn't understand exactly what he means, she promises to take care of herself.

__

Mideel must once have been a very beautiful little town, Elmyra thinks as she walks through the village. She would love to help people with their construction work as much as she could, but nobody pays any attention to her.

_ Maybe it's better that way _ , she thinks. She doesn't know anything about architecture, about the best way to rebuild a city, about how to get the materials to do it. She doesn't know anything about what it's like to plan a project or lead people or give them the courage to excel themselves.

_ I know _ , she notices,  _ actually very little anyway _ .

With a heavy heart and lowered shoulders she steps closer to the billowing cracks in the ground and finally to the big, huge hole with the strange green glowing liquid inside.

_... that must be the Lifestream. It almost looks like a lake. _

She suppresses the urge to kneel down and dip her fingers in the strange liquid. Instead, she just looks at it for a long time (if she keeps looking long enough, maybe she can see her daughter? Her husband? Someone she knows? Can she make out shadows and shapes in the gentle whirlpool, indicating that this indeed is the very essence of all life?) until something touches her leg. She blinks and looks down, then tilts her head. "Well, and who are you?" she asks the white bird.  _ A Chocobo _ , she thinks, her husband showed her photos of them. But they are usually not that white. And not that small. ... are they?

As she bends down and caresses the animal's feathers, she hears a voice calling, and shortly afterwards a young woman comes to a halt next to her, gasping and breathless, her hands on her knees. "I told you not to run away all the time," she scolds the Chocobo and then looks at Elmyra questioningly, her eyes wide in confusion. "You're not from around here, are you?"

Elmyra shakes her head. "I came to see the Lifestream."

"Oh. Well. I guess?" Slowly, she sits down with Elmyra and feeds the Chocobo some vegetables, and then offers Elmyra a candy bar, which she politely declines. "Just tell me if you change your mind," the woman says and laughs a little, "I have too much of everything anyway. I spent all my gil buying canned food and goods in case the world might end. I really thought that would help me." She shrugs her shoulders. "And now I'm here, dirt poor and giving away all my food to the people who're actually working hard to rebuild this city. How stupid of me, right?"

"I think that's kind of you."

She looks at Elmyra out of the corner of her eye and brushes the short hair out of her face, smiling a little. "Then maybe you're stupid, too," she says, but she doesn't actually seem to mean it. "... so, the Lifestream, huh? What were you expecting to find in it?"

"I don't know."

They both remain silent, only the tiny Chocobo is audibly crunching on its carrot and happily shaking its tail feathers.

Eventually the young woman looks back at Elmyra. "You know, when Meteor fell ..." she begins quietly and then hesitates before continuing: "I dunno if it sounds strange, but it was as if the Lifestream pushed it back and away from the planet."

"Yes. I've seen it, too. I was in Kalm at that time and I hadn't known it was the Lifestream back then, but I've seen it, too."

"That's not the weirdest thing, though." She rubs her hands like the memory makes her shiver. "It was ..." She looks at the green lake that seems to be the essence of all life and shakes her head. "It kinda felt like I heard my dad's voice telling me it'll be okay. I like to imagine he was looking out for me."

"That's a nice thought," Elmyra replies softly and pets the tiny Chocobo's head, lost in thought. "Maybe this is why I'm here," she then admits.

"I hope you're finding what you're looking for."

"Thank you."

They stay like that for a few long moments until the young woman slowly gets back up on her feet and stretches her legs. "C'mon, Boko. Let's go home."

Elmyra says goodbye and looks after them both for a long time until she feels that light breeze in her hair again. It's almost as if someone is pulling her into a warm embrace. Hastily she turns her gaze to the lake, almost expecting to see a shadow or a face in the liquid.

Instead, lilies bloom before her. One in yellow. And one in white.

This time, tears come to Elmyra's eyes, and she allows them to, touching the petals carefully. "I understand it now. I understand what you're trying to say. You'll be with me forever, right?"

Of course she doesn't get an answer. But she feels lighter at heart than ever before. "... thank you."

Slowly she gets up and watches the flowers for a few more long seconds. The sight makes an idea sprout inside her, something even she can do to take care of the people she values.

"I love you. Both of you," she says. And she returns to the airship without looking back.

__

Three years have passed since the meteor almost destroyed the planet. Three years have passed since Midgar, the once ever-glowing city, was destroyed and the new city, Edge, was built nearby.

Three years since Tifa's new bar became a safe haven for them all. Three years since Elmyra found a new family.

"Marlene called me mother for the first time today," she says as she sits down with them and puts the heavy basket next to the table.

The flowers in Midgar's Sector 5 kept on blooming, just as if Aerith had put her protective hand over them. Three years ago, Elmyra dug up some of them and took them with her, planting them in Edge around Tifa's bar. Now she sells them, day in, day out, to put a smile on the faces of the people in this difficult time of constant upheaval.

From across the table, Barret smiles and reaches out for her hand. "She's a great kid."

"Yes. Your daughter is wonderful."

"Our daughter," he corrects her.

For that, too, has happened in these three years: The knowledge that a heart can blossom anew even when all seems lost.

"Our daughter," she repeats quietly, squeezing both of his hands. The new prosthesis no longer frightens her, because she knows that he needs two hands to be able to hold his daughter and his wife at the same time.

And that he needs two hands to help her plant the flowers.


End file.
